Robert McKee is a teacher of Story and author of the classic book Story. Style, Structure, Substance and the Principles of Screenwriting. Past students of Mr. McKee's include people like Peter Jackson, Russell Brand, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Roberts, Geoffrey Rush, Kirk Douglas, David Bowie, Meg Ryan, John Cleese, and many more. McKee is hosting an event on how to use story in business called Storynomics on March 19 in LA. I’ll be there. So should you.
Click below to watch our Q&A:
What follows is a highly edited transcript of our conversation.
Ramsey: For those of us in business, … [Read more...]

There are few class acts in the radio and TV business classier than Barry Drake.
After an amazing career leading a variety of radio and television companies, Barry has set down on paper the best lessons from those years, mixed with enough anecdotes and highlights for several careers.
The book is 40 Years 40,000 Sales Calls: Thoughts on Radio and Advertising Based on a Lifetime of Customer Contact. And - notably - all the profits from the book benefit the Broadcasters Foundation of America.
Enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Barry about his terrific new book and his … [Read more...]

If you were born in the 80's or 90's, you're in your late teens to early 30's today. You are also a digital native and quite unlike older folks, including the older folks running the radio business.
That explains why these older folks don't know a lot about you - only what Nielsen tells them - only what radio their PPM devices are exposed to - and not much else.
But oh, there's much more to know. And it's terribly important for the future of an industry that must maintain its relevance as generations come and go.
That's why I talked with psychologist, professor, and author Jean Twenge … [Read more...]

What's the upside for advertising on podcasts?
Where is it going and how can your podcast get a piece of a growing advertising pie?
That's what I asked Erik Diehn, VP Biz Dev at Midroll Media, the podcasting advertising network. Midroll, like PodcastOne, is one of the companies creating of the business of podcasting.
The audience sizes of leading podcasts are approaching and surpassing what advertisers are accustomed to on TV, so despite imperfect measurements, momentum is beginning to build for podcasts among advertisers. Direct response advertisers are already in the space, but … [Read more...]

I'm tired of certain "chiefs" of the radio industry who diminish the prospect of making money from streaming, as if Internet radio is altogether different from or irrelevant to the future of broadcast tower licensees.
Hardly.
Further, when these individuals proudly proclaim "there's no money to be made in streaming" and "I've never met any broadcaster who has made money streaming," they are not only expressing ignorance, they are also granting permission for an entire industry to fail in the fastest growing category of radio there is: The one online.
So today I thought I would lead by … [Read more...]

Quick Summary: How do today's tech startups launch and scale big and fast? By using a new union of traditional and direct marketing and business development that adds up to one thing: Growth. How can radio and other media brands become "growth hackers"?
Ryan Holiday is the former Director of Marketing for American Apparel. He has promoted the works of authors like Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Marc Ecko and Tucker Max. He is a devious genius when it comes to the art and science of media attention, and he's the author of some of my favorite books from the past three years, including Trust Me, I'm … [Read more...]

Quick Summary: How can your media brand leapfrog your competition? Not by shortcuts but by "smartcuts." Here are a few examples that you can put right to work: Lateral thinking, agility, leveraging platforms, 10X thinking, and more....
Shane Snow is the co-founder of Contently, the publishing platform for brands, journalists, and storytellers. Shane is a journalist who's written for "Fast Company," "The New Yorker," "Wired," and "The Washington Post." Shane also is the author of a terrific new book called Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success.
Watch this … [Read more...]

You know the radio spots that give you an 800-number - and repeat it four times?
Don't you just love that?
Or the ones that ask you to call a number and leave your email on the answering machine?
Sounds efficient, doesn't it?
Have you ever wished for an audio advertising experience that was more direct, more interactive, and didn't require new chips in your mobile phone or a pad and pen at the ready 24/7/365?
XAPPmedia is one company looking to provide that interactive experience.
I talked with Pat Higbie, XAPPmedia's CEO, who told me about the technology and demonstrated how … [Read more...]